Cuiyu ran out of the alley, and she could no longer see Lin Yingying. She asked two passers-by and finally got the general direction of the prison, and immediately chased after it.
She had to pull the fool Lin Yingying back! Writing anti-government poetry was a huge crime! Why should she die with that person? She had to persuade Lin Yingying to come back!
Cuiyu squeezed through the crowd and ran to the bridge, but was immediately stopped.
"Why are you running around? You can't disturb the princess's car!"
Cuiyu was startled and quickly stepped back.
Princess Huarong was used to being dignified on weekdays. Every time she went out, her guards would clear the way. The noisy crowd who were going to the Sky Prison to watch the number one scholar being imprisoned kept retreating, making the already narrow arch bridge even more crowded.
Cuiyu was worried about Lin Yingying and was absent-mindedly backing away. It had rained a little last night, and the bridge was damp. In the crowd, Cuiyu, who was at a loss, was accidentally bumped by a half-grown child next to her. She slipped, screamed, and fell directly off the bridge.
For a moment, the huge sound of water was accompanied by the exclamations of the crowd.
Princess Huarong frowned in annoyance, lifted the curtain to inquire, and learned that someone had fallen into the water, but she did not take it seriously. She guessed that it was caused by her guards clearing the way. She cursed "trouble" in annoyance and casually asked the guards to go down and rescue the person.
The guards in the princess's mansion were all very skilled. One of them immediately jumped into the water and fished the jade out.
Seeing that the girl was being pulled out of the water, Nanny Kang, who was beside Princess Huarong, was worried that the girl's innocence would be exposed if she got wet, so she took a robe and handed it to her. She looked down at Cui Yu, who was sitting on the ground in shock, and said, "Go home."
Then she casually threw the robe in her arms to Cuiyu as if giving her alms.
Cuiyu had come to her senses. After all, she was not a girl of pure family background, so she did not care about getting wet. She wiped the water off her face, bowed in the direction of Princess Huarong Che Luan, and said hurriedly: "Thank you for disturbing the princess!"
Then she staggered to her feet, wrapped herself in the robe that Nanny Kang threw to her, and turned to run. She didn't even notice that she had lost one of her shoes. She was in a hurry! She had to stop Lin Yingying before she followed her to the prison!
Aunt Kang shook her head and muttered without approval: "How rash..."
Princess Huarong was very impatient because her journey was delayed. Just as she was about to lower the curtain, her eyes inadvertently fell on Cuiyu's foot without a sock.
The woman's feet were delicate and white, making the triangular birthmark on her heel particularly obvious.
Princess Huarong was stunned for a moment, then immediately raised her voice: "Madam Kang!"
Hearing Princess Huarong's tone, Nanny Kang thought that the princess was unhappy about being delayed and was about to lose her temper, so she hurried over. Princess Huarong frowned and was silent for a moment before she spoke: "Go and find out her background! Immediately!"
Nanny Kang was stunned for a moment, and looked in the direction Princess Huarong was looking. Cuiyu's figure had already disappeared in the crowd.
Cuiyu had no idea what was happening on Princess Huarong's side. She ran all the way to the Heavenly Prison and met many people walking towards her who were watching the fun.
It turned out that she was still late. Jiang Yunche had already been taken into custody, and Lin Yingying resolutely followed him in.
Cui Yu was so tired that she sat cross-legged on the ground, looking at the gloomy prison in the distance, feeling lost. Could a lowly person like her think of any way to save people? Could she ask for help from a noble person
There is no way and no noble person.
It is precisely because they are insignificant people like ants and have no way to deal with them that Lin Yingying resolutely follows in, right
Cuiyu wiped the river water off her head and sat for a while. Only when she had enough strength did she get up and walk back silently to close her stall.
Lin Yingying had a dream.
It was called a dream, but it actually happened. It was so clear in the dream, as if I had gone through the past days again.
She stumbled as she escaped from the bandits.
The knife wound on her back was burning with pain. Her face was covered in blood, someone else's blood.
Listening to the footsteps of the bandits getting closer and closer behind her, she felt desperate. Just as she was hesitating whether to jump into the turbulent river to try to survive, she heard the sound of a wheel.
That is vitality.
She had already used up all her strength, but she managed to squeeze out some more and ran towards the passing carriage.
"Who is it!" The guard drew his sword.
She didn't know where she got the strength from, she tightly grasped the guard's wrist, spat out blood, and trembled towards the carriage: "Save me, please save me!"
The car door was pushed open, and Jiang Yunche looked down with confusion and surprise.
Lin Yingying stared at him blankly, thinking that this man dressed as a scholar might be kind enough to save her! She hesitated again, would such a weak scholar be implicated by her and die in the hands of bandits
But she didn't have time to think about it, as exhaustion and excessive blood loss made her faint.
Her vision turned and her dream cut to a different scene.
On New Year's Eve, she sat alone in the courtyard, staring blankly at the fireworks in the sky. She didn't expect Jiang Yunche to come. She tried to please him gently, and then asked cautiously, "Can I go home?"
Jiang Yunche was writing a poem in a carefree manner. Hearing this, he smiled faintly and said, "If I really wanted to detain you, do you think you could contact your sister?"
Lin Yingying took a half step back in surprise. It turned out that he knew that she had contacted Cuiyu. She carefully looked at Jiang Yunche's expression and didn't see that he was unhappy. She raised the corner of her lips and tugged at the corner of his clothes in a well-behaved manner, and asked, "Don't you have to stay at the Marquis' Mansion to celebrate the New Year today?"
Jiang Yunche was silent.
But after a long, long time, he said, "Yingying, wait a moment."
What are you waiting for? Will he leave if he waits a little longer? Probably, right? Lin Yingying didn't want to think too deeply about what he said. She stood quietly beside him, watching his beautiful handwriting write beautiful words. She still couldn't help asking, "What are you writing?"
"Love poems."
Lin Yingying bit her lower lip and whispered, “I don’t understand.”
Jiang Yunche paused as he wrote. He pulled Lin Yingying over, held her in his arms, and while holding her hand, he finished writing the love poem.
Lin Yingying cried in her dream.
She was really too stupid. Even though he taught her once, she still felt that the love poem was too difficult to understand. She couldn't understand it and had difficulty reciting it then, and now she couldn't remember it.
The sound of iron chains woke Lin Yingying from her dream.
She opened her wet eyes and watched the jailer delivering the food from the entrance below. She immediately stood up and walked over, squatting there, picking up the chopsticks and picking through the food.
—There would be small stones in the food, and she had to pick them out for Jiang Yunche.
When Lin Yingying fell asleep, Jiang Yunche stared at her intently. He watched her cry in her dream, and watched her run over to pick up the food as soon as she opened her eyes.
He looked at Lin Yingying's slender figure with her back to him and asked, "When you were Chen Anzhi's concubine, you laughed and sang happily, and I didn't see you running away desperately."
Lin Yingying's hand holding the chopsticks froze. After a while, she lowered her eyes and continued to pick up the food. She said, "I can be a concubine or mistress to any man in the world, but not you."
Cuiyu still went to find You Yuji. If she hadn't really had no other choice, she wouldn't have wanted to ask You Yuji for help. She and Lin Yingying had already troubled You Yuji too much. Moreover, this matter was so serious that even if she came to find You Yuji, she didn't have much hope.
She told You Yuji the whole story and said with a gloomy face: "I don't care whether that young marquis lives or dies! Sister, can you think of a way to get Yingying out?"
Cuiyu was so anxious that she almost cried.
She has had no family since childhood, and Lin Yingying is her closest family member in this world.
Cuiyu sniffed and said dejectedly: "If the young marquis dies, even if Yingying is rescued, will she become like Chunxing..."
Cuiyu shook her head violently: "No matter what, it's always good to be alive!"
You Yuji held her hand and comforted her: "Don't worry, I will send someone to investigate the case committed by An Qinghou first."
Cuiyu nodded repeatedly.
Madam Jing immediately went out to send someone to inquire. Cui Yu did not leave either, and stayed with You Yuji to wait for news. In the evening, Zhuo Wen came back with news. It turned out that Jiang Yunche was not the only one imprisoned for anti-poetry this time, and many officials were involved, so there might be some inside story.
You Yuji comforted Cuiyu: "Since this case involves so many people, it will take a while to convict. I will find a way to investigate further."
Cuiyu nodded, but it was unclear whether she had heard it or not.
In the next few days, Cuiyu frequently came to You Yuji to inquire about the news. You Yuji was also very concerned, knowing that the case was still under investigation and officials were imprisoned every day.
You Yuji sat by the window, frowning and thinking. She turned her head inadvertently, looked in the direction of the inner room, and quickly and silently withdrew her gaze.
—When she returned to You’s house, Si Que did not follow her.
She hasn't seen Si Que for several days.
Nanny Liu came over on behalf of Madam You to ask You Yuji why she didn't go over to take a nap. You Yuji came to her senses and realized what time it was, so she quickly got up and went to her mother's side - she had been sleeping next to her mother every afternoon recently.
When she arrived at her mother's room, her mother looked at her tenderly, waiting for her. You Yuji called "Mother" softly, walked over with a smile, and lay down next to her mother.
"Have you been feeling unwell lately?" Mrs. You slowly raised her hand and gently placed it on You Yuzhi's lower abdomen.
You Yuji shook her head and said softly, "He is very well behaved and doesn't make any noise."
Mrs. You was silent for a while and asked, "Where is he?"
You Yuji said softly, "He has something to do and can't leave."
Mrs. You said "Oh" lightly and didn't ask any more questions.
You Yuji still had a gentle smile on her face, but she felt a little regretful in her heart. She couldn't help but share the good news with her mother on the day she came back, but now she thought that it would be better if she didn't tell her mother in the first place to save her from worrying.
In the afternoon, Zhao Sheng and Jiang Chun came to visit You Yuji.
Jiang Chun's belly was already very big, and even though she was carefree, her movements became slower. Zhao Sheng's eyes almost fell on her, staring at her all the time.
You Yuji smiled and put her palm on Jiang Chun's belly, and felt the little guy in Jiang Chun's belly kick her. She couldn't help but laugh out loud in surprise, and said happily: "Like you, you are a strong little guy!"
The couple sat for a while, and Zhao Sheng left early because he wanted to go to the temple to pray for a rope. Jiang Chun stayed and chatted with You Yuji, talking about the past and the future. When it got dark, Zhao Sheng hurried back to pick up Jiang Chun and leave together.
After the couple left, Bao He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is the safety rope you ordered for the day of delivery? Just send someone to do it. Why does General Zhao have to go there in person and see how busy people are?"
Madam Jing shook her head and explained to her, "Of course there are rules. It must be done by your husband in person."
You Yuji listened to their conversation, lowered her eyes to look at Baisui who was lying on her lap, and gently stroked his soft hair with her slender fingers.
She sat quietly for a while, put Baisui down, and went to the study. She asked the maid to grind ink for her and spread out the rice paper.
You Yuji felt that it must be her pregnancy that made her so sensitive.
This is not good. Very bad.
She doesn't like herself for being so sensitive, overthinking and not open-minded enough.
She rolled up her sleeves, picked up the pen, and began to copy the Heart Sutra. As she wrote densely on the page, her mood became peaceful.
Baisui sat quietly at the desk, her bright cat eyes moving slowly along her pen.
"Meow." Baisui stood up, bent his waist, opened his cat mouth and yawned. He looked past You Yuzhi and meowed again.
There was a crisp sound, and You Yuji recognized it as the copper coin that Si Que was playing with between his fingers.
You Yuji couldn't help but raise the corners of her lips. She resisted the urge to turn around and continued to write the sentence until Si Que's breath approached and hugged her from behind.